Saturday, April 6, 2013

Subscriber Services |

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Heard in the Hall

Shuffle In Nutter's Team As Mayor Seeks More Revenue

Mayor Nutter this morning named Thomas Knudsen as his first revenue collection czar, a new position charged with "dramatically increasing" the collection of taxes, fees, fines and any other source of money due to the city.

Shuffle In Nutter's Team As Mayor Seeks More Revenue

POSTED: Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 10:57 AM

FILE: Thomas Knudsen, the Philadelphia school district's chief recovery officer and former head of PGW, will now supervise the city's tax collections from late payers. (Sarah J. Glover / Staff Photographer)

Mayor Nutter this morning named Thomas Knudsen as his first revenue collection czar, a new position charged with “dramatically increasing” the collection of taxes, fees, fines and any other source of money due to the city.

Nutter also announced that Revenue Commissioner Keith J. Richardson, who previously was responsible for collecting the bulk of the city’s taxes, would be leaving for a post at the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson will move to take over Richardson’s job.

Deputy Commissioner for Transportation David J. Perri will be acting Streets commissioner, Nutter said.

Knudsen, who will make $160,000, will have responsibility for taking a “global view” of revenue collections across all city agencies, Nutter said. While Revenue collects the lion's share of the city’s taxes, other city departments, such as Streets, Licenses and Inspections, police and fire, also bill for services and collect money through fees, fines and other mechanisms.

Knudsen has been a lauded manager of public institutions in crisis. His most vaunted accomplishment was turning the Philadelphia Gas Works from a money-losing mess into an efficient, profitable operation. He did his job so well that the city is now considering selling off the utility.

Knudsen, who spent more than 10 years at PGW, last held the title of chief recovery officer at the School District of Philadelphia, managing the district through its budget crisis until the new superintendent, William Hite, began work last fall.

“From my days at PGW I know high levels of collections from the citizens of this city are possible,” Knudsen said. “I know how critical that is.”

The collection of taxes has been a focus of Council and the mayor this year as the city moves to a new property tax system that promises to fix the badly broken and inequitable system now in place, but will shift the tax burden around the city in some painful ways. Large commercial properties, for example, are expecting their taxes to come down, while homeowners living in growing areas of the city are facing some eye-popping increases.

Although Nutter officials say the city collects more than 90 percent of property taxes, the administration has come under fire for not doing enough, especially with regards to delinquent payers, often speculators, who seem to avoid taxes on dilapidated properties with impunity.

Council has convened a number of hearings this year, asking how to wring out every tax dollar possible to keep down the property tax rate and minimize the hit on homeowners facing higher bills.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

Troy Graham @troyjgraham @ 10:57 AM Permalink | 34 comments

Previous Story: Council Wonders How School Funding Request Was Made

Next Story: Best bet in City Hall today? That Mayor Nutter will veto the paid sick-leave bill

Comments (34)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:27 PM, 04/03/2013

From my days at PGW I know high levels of collections from the citizens of this city are possible,” Knudsen said. ***** Straight out of George Orwell*****

— cementhead

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:34 PM, 04/03/2013

What a great story this is. I hope Mr. Knudsen brings his magic wand with him, because he still has to deal with the same team that historically is unable or unwilling to collect a bill.

— axxell

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:39 PM, 04/03/2013

Knudsen is useless. We're sunk.

— Themonkofmagdalena

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:57 PM, 04/03/2013

These fat cats treat us like Limburger.

— Lil Tyreese Biggums

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:11 PM, 04/03/2013

Why are the Democrats continually voted in? Answer: We have too many ignorant, lazy or uninformed voters in this city.

People, these Democrats do not care about you. Repeat...THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU! They care about how they can milk the system and line their pockets. More revenue! Translation: more taxes. I am gone in 2 years. Heading to the burbs. Where I know where my hard earned money is going.

— Just_Recently_Banned

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:13 PM, 04/03/2013

KNudsen? Now that he has sucked up $25K a month from the school district for the past year, he's off to greener pastures. God help us.

— pachysandra

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:14 PM, 04/03/2013

It's funny. Didn't Knudsen retire from PGW, and so isn't he collecting a pension? Here he is, so valuable that only he can help the school district and the city government, yet not so valuable that anyone else has hired him. So charitable that he can step in and help out with civic duties, yet not so charitable that he doesn't have to collect high salaries from the schools and the city on top of his pension.

— bullrun

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:53 PM, 04/03/2013

Mayor Urkel knows he can't run to the state demanding more money with that story out there that he and his fellow elected Democrats have refused to collect taxes from his constituents. The rest of the state is going to tell the lot of them to drop dead. Expect our stenographer media to run with a press release, er, 'story' in a few months talking about the amazing progress that Knudsen and the city are making on collections, and how the state should now 'do it's part' and give Urkel all the money he wants for the schools. Or be called racists. Lather, rinse, repeat.

— b,ill a,tkins

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:55 PM, 04/03/2013

Knudsen just go away,you really cleanup the school dist. BIG Fraud.

— aguckin

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:34 PM, 04/03/2013

Dave Perri is the first good decision this mayor has made.

— cityslicker

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:54 PM, 04/03/2013

This is like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

— wislad

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:18 PM, 04/03/2013

Yeah. Like standing there on deck playing violins for a captive audience.

— MS. LOU.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:28 PM, 04/03/2013

Like it or not D-Bags, Philly is on the rise. I know it hurts your head, but facts is facts. People want to live here, stores are opening, and downtown and surrounding environs have been on the upswing for A DECADE with no end in sight. Love it or leave it BABY!!!!

— Mackey Dingo

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:30 PM, 04/03/2013

It's about time. Most deadbeats in Philly know that they can get away without paying taxes. Let the sucker middle class pay all the taxes.

— neddyflanders

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:45 PM, 04/03/2013

Pfft. Facts is facts? Facts are that employment is down in the past DECADE while the labor force is up. More people chasing fewer jobs, what a success story. Unemployment rate in Philadelphia city/county January 1993, 7.9 percent. January 2013, 11.7 percent. You know what's going to help that? NUTTER RAISING TAXES AGAIN FOR THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW.

— bullrun